Beautiful Games: the golden age of surfing

With his waterproof camera and pioneering approach, John Witzig was one of the most forward-thinking surf photographers of the early 1960s – the so-called golden age of the sport. Along the beaches of Sydney, Australia, Witzig documented life on and off the waves for a small community of enthusiasts, just as short, lightweight boards were transforming and popularising surfing. His subjects became his friends and, for 15 years, he built up an archive of beautiful, intimate and mellow pictures which seem to perfectly represent the surf culture of those days; the rich, golden hue of his images further heightens the sense of nostalgia. 'I had a lot of fun,' he says of a career which ultimately took him around the world, 'until the late 1970s when it was apparent that I'd better get a real job!' Witzig's work has been celebrated in a book called
A Golden Age published by Rizzoli